


Binding the Ties: A Story of Family

by Novalinx



Category: Criminal Minds, NCIS
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-11
Updated: 2012-08-11
Packaged: 2017-11-11 22:16:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/483455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Novalinx/pseuds/Novalinx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A brief relationship changes two families forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Betaed by the awesome annieb1955  
> Word count: 15252  
> For the 2012 Criminal Minds Big Bang  
> Just a heads up, I'm going out of town for a couple days, but I will get back to reviewers!

1966

It was quiet. That was the first thing that Cora Jameson thought when she woke. A quick peek showed that she was in a new hospital room. That was a relief. The maternity room she had been in was dizzyingly cheerful and that had not helped her labor pains at all. 

With a deep sigh and a quick stretch, Cora felt almost human again. Except for the residual ache from the birth, she could barely feel a need to be in the hospital. Well, she thought humorlessly, until the drugs wear off. 

Now that she was a little more awake, she noticed that it wasn't as quiet as she though. She could hear the nurses down the hall and the beeping of machines. Her door was open and while the lights in the room were off, the light from the hallway shone onto the floor. Should she call for a nurse? Or should she enjoy these last few minutes of peace before taking responsibility for her newborn son and workaholic husband?

She settled more comfortably onto her bed, pulled up the blanket and decided that for once she would selfishly enjoy a peaceful night. One that would likely be her last for a while.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next day was busy. It seemed the whole town came to the hospital, although Cora knew that was ridiculous. Edward was there with his father, her parents, and his younger brother. The newest Jameson was causing quite a stir. Henry, the new grandfather was already cooing over the boy, although he was quick to point out that Edward and Jonathon had both been born with a full head of hair. Poor little Aaron was bald as could be. 

Cora's mother was just as quick to point out that Cora had been born bald and it takes two people to make a baby so all of his characteristics would not follow just the Jamesons! He also had Forsythe genes.

Grandfather Henry wasn't thrilled to hear that, but kept quiet for the moment. Cora and her mother exchanged a knowing look. It was them against four stubborn men, they'd see to it that Aaron was left to grow at his own pace.

“Why Aaron?” Jonathon asked suddenly.

“What?” Cora asked.

“Aaron, why did you two choose Aaron?” he repeated.

Cora shrugged, “I like it.”

“Ed?” Jonathon turned to his brother, “Do you like it?”

“Doesn't matter to me, he's a Jameson, that's what matters,” he responded gruffly, not even looking up from the file folder in his hand. 

Anna Forsythe looked like she was going to say something about that, but a shake from Cora's head and her husband's hand on her arm cut her off. 

“Well,” Cora said “At least the nursery is all set. All we have to do is get Aaron home and start living as a happy family.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The first few years were the easiest. Cora spent all her time with Aaron. Edward spent almost all of his time at work. Now that he had a son to carry on his name, he had little use for his wife.

His son.

Her son.

It was easier though. Her life. She raised Aaron, kept the house in order. That was made much easier with the hired help.

The hardest thing she had to do was dress up and attend parties and dinners for Edward's law firm.

It was an easy life, but not what she wanted. She had gone to Mary Baldwin College with the intention of working with children. Either teaching or social work. 

Not that she had to work. Her father was a successful businessman. Her mother worked with all sorts of charities and organizations. Cora though, Cora knew there was more to life what her parents did. They did support her going to college, mostly hoping she would find a husband. 

She didn't.

Not until the Christmas party her parents threw her senior year. There she met Edward Jameson. He was handsome, charming, older, established. The perfect mix of what she wanted and what her parents wanted for her. 

Their courtship lasted almost a year. 

Then they were married, then she was pregnant, then they had a baby. Now... now she was mostly alone. She had a beautiful home, the latest fashions, more than enough food to eat, and yet. Yet, there was an emptiness in her. One that she had been terrified of when she was younger. 

She thought they had married for love. Apparently her marriage was really a business transaction. A comfortable life for her. A son for him. 

A son for him. That he rarely spent any time with. That he rarely looked at. 

How would her son turn out without his father there to guide him?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1975

It rained. Like something out of a cliched movie. Everyone stood, dressed in their finest holding somber, black umbrellas. The focus was on the minister. He spoke words of loss, of grief.

Cora felt none of it. She was numb. She stood next to the casket in the cemetery, Aaron in a perfectly pressed suit beside her. 

The words of the minister, her family, the condolences of strangers, of Edward's business partners and clients all washed over her. 

She was finally free.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1977

Being free was wonderful. Sure, some things were harder than Cora had expected, but she could do what she wanted.

Edward may have been a difficult man, but he made sure his widow and his son would be well cared for.

They didn't have to move. They didn't have to let any of the staff go. They didn't have to do anything. 

But, the air was oppressive. The memories of Edward were everywhere. She would be arranging flowers in the entryway and swear she could smell his cologne.

Making trips to the bathroom at night, in the dark, she could hear him snore. 

She needed to get away. A trip. Somewhere she had never been, but always wanted to go.

New York City.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The city was everything and nothing like she expected.

There were so many people and lights and sounds. 

It was perfect.

The plan was to spend the summer in the city. Cora rented a fantastic penthouse in a hotel not far from Central Park. 

She and Aaron went to museums, plays, and art shows. They played at being tourists and went to the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. They missed being the 50 millionth visitor, but Cora figured it wasn't that big of a deal anyway.

It was during a trip to the park that she met him.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Anthony DiNozzo, Senior.

He was suave, handsome, charming. Too many characteristics shared with Edward, but at the same time completely different. 

He lost his wife the year before. He was now taking some time off to spend with his nine year old son Tony. 

He took her dancing while the boys stayed at her apartment watching movies. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1978

The courtship was much faster than it had been with Edward, and Cora loved every minute of it.

The wedding ceremony was small, but elegant.

Aaron and Tony were groomsmen, in matching suits and ties. Tony insisting on wearing sunglasses, even inside the church. 

Grandma Anna Forsythe slipped another pair of sunglasses to Aaron before the ceremony began. 

There were no other members of the DiNozzo family in attendance. Cora didn't even notice it until almost a week later, when her mother mentioned how sad she was to not meet her new in-laws.

That should have been a warning sign. Should have been.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The honeymoon was in Tuscany. Anthony wanted to show off his Italian heritage. 

While Cora and Anthony spent most of the time behind closed doors, the new brother spent their time exploring. 

With parents currently more absorbed in each other than their own children, the two had many adventures during the week in Italy.

At breakfast one morning, the one meal Cora insisted the new family have together every day, Aaron kept blushing and Tony continued to elbow him and grin into his eggs. 

“What are you two on about?” Anthony asked.

“Uh...” Aaron stuttered, his blush growing deeper.

To Cora's amusement, Tony started up a long winded story, that had something to do with Barnaby Jones, though Cora didn't really see the connection. 

It didn't matter. Not then, not to her. Her family was sitting around the table sharing a story. She never had that with Edward. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Honeymoons never last. They were soon back in the U.S. and Anthony and Tony moved into Cora's home. Tony transferred to Aaron's school. Their lives began to mesh together.

Before the school year started, Anthony left on business. 

Despite many discussions about their lives, Cora was still unclear on what exactly Anthony did for a living. Something with importing goods? Or did he come up with product ideas and sell them to other companies? It seemed that if it had anything to do with business, Anthony did it. 

She did know that his business caused him to travel a lot. While she would miss him, she planned on enjoying the time with her sons. 

Sons.

That made her happy, she had wanted more than one child, but Edward hadn't seen the need. One son to carry on his name was all he needed. He still had that, Aaron, for whatever reason, hadn't wanted to take on the name DiNozzo. Aaron DiNozzo. Perhaps he had a point. It had an entirely different ring to it than Aaron Jameson.

Aaron and Cora showed Tony all around their home. They spent time with her parents, made friends with local children. Got lost for hours in the woods. 

It was idyllic.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Anthony returned from his trip, Cora knew just from his face that his business trip had not turned out how he had anticipated. She offered a sympathetic ear and listened as he railed about the ineptitude of various other businessmen.

Her patience was rewarded when he took a deep breath, kissed her cheek and said how happy he was to be home. 

She smiled, sent him off to shower and relax and went to see how dinner was going in the kitchen.

Half an hour later, dinner was just about ready. The boys were waiting at the table discussing their new teachers and what classes they had together. Anthony was still upstairs. 

“Your father is late,” she said to Tony.

He shrugged, “We really didn't have a set dinnertime before he married you.”

“Ah,” Cora nodded in understanding, “then I will have to go get him. You two wait for me.” She stood and placed her napkin back on the table.

The boys both nodded their heads and were quickly absorbed in their conversation.

Up the stairs and to the right led to the master bedroom. Anthony wasn't there. That was odd, Cora thought. Where else could he possibly be?

She quickly checked the rest of the rooms on the second floor. Still no Anthony. A quick jog back down the stairs and another search.

She found him in the study. Perhaps he'd had a last minute idea?

She tapped the doorframe. “Anthony? Dinner is ready.”

He looked up and started shuffling some paperwork around on the desk.

“Come and eat, everything will be better after some food.”

“Yes, of course, I'll be right there.”

“No, now. Whatever it is can wait. Let's go.”

“Yes dear,” Anthony said with a rueful grin. He left the papers on the desk and passed Cora to go to the kitchen.

Cora started to follow him, but paused. As weird as it was, it seemed he was trying to hide something from her. They were still newly weds, but wasn't it a little early for secrets? She went back into the study and spread out the hastily stacked papers.

It was not what she was expecting. Important information for his business, patent applications, anything but this.

She was looking at her own bank statements.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

She exhaled forcefully and sat down. Why would he be looking at these? No, it had to be a mistake. Didn't he once say that before his wife had died, he had taken care of all the bills? He must have looked at them out of habit, or thought they were his.

Yes. It was all a misunderstanding. 

But why would he try to hide what he was looking at?

No. No, it wasn't what she thought. She was being paranoid. Dinner. She had to go to dinner.

But she was distant throughout dinner, letting the males in her life dominate the discussion. 

If they noticed anything was wrong, they didn't say anything. Although she noticed Aaron giving her worried looks.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next day, Saturday, Cora took the boys to her parents while Anthony stayed home to make business calls.

While her father kept the boys entertained with stories of his time in World War II, Cora confessed her worries to her mother.

“It's probably nothing,” Anna soothed. “But, if you are this worried about it, on Monday after you drop the boys off at school, stop by the bank. They'll be able to tell you if he's tried to access any of your money. Not that he can, he isn't on the account and being your husband does not give him access to Aaron's trust fund or your savings!”

“You're right.” Cora agreed. “It was just a shock to see him looking at those papers. Do you think I should ask him about it?”

“Hmm.” Anna sipped at her tea. “I would wait, check with the bank first. See what they say. If he hasn't tried anything, let it go for now. He doesn't know that you know he was looking at your papers.”

“Okay.” Cora closed her eyes. “I don't like this. Ed and I may have had our differences, but we didn't have secrets. We both knew where we stood.”

“Every relationship is different, honey. You may have gotten into it too fast, but if you want it to work, you need to be patient.” Anna paused and turned a shrewd eye on her daughter. “You do want it to work, right?”

“Of course I do! I love Anthony, Tony is adorable. Aaron enjoys having a father and a brother. Why wouldn't I want it to work?” 

“I don't know. There's just something niggling at the back of my mind. I'm sure it's nothing. Just work on this. Be patient.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And she was. Cora was convinced that she had never been more patient in her entire life. 

The following Monday, she went to the bank. They told her exactly what she wanted to hear. The only one with access to her bank accounts was her. No one had been making any inquiries. Now that she had brought it to their attention, they'd keep a look out. Everything she wanted to hear from her bank, reinforcing the trust she had in them.

She felt much better.

Things between her and Anthony were going well also. She took her mothers advice. She was attentive to his needs, willing to listen to his rants. Everything a perfect wife should be. 

One night, a couple weeks later, they're alone in the house. The boys were out at a movie, Up in Smoke, which Tony had been looking forward too. Aaron was slightly less excited. Neither would tell her what it was about. She'd find out. She was a mom after all.

She and Anthony were in the living room, listening to music and reading. At least she was reading, Anthony was looking at more paperwork.

“Cora, darling.” Anthony began.

“Yes?” Cora replied absentmindedly.

“I've got this idea for a business. Simple, but lucrative.”

Cora put her book down, “What idea is that?”

“A relocation business!” Anthony sat back proudly.

“Like moving vans and such?”

“Yes, but better.” Anthony leaned forward to explain. “People hire us to move anything, their homes, art, cars, anything. We pack it all up safe and sound and get it delivered wherever they want in a certain amount of time! It's perfect.”

“It certainly sounds it. But how do you plan to compete with other companies?”

There was a sigh. “That's when it gets a little tricky. Companies like Mayflower have been around forever, same with U-Haul. Hard to compete with history. So we'd need to have something to personalize it more.” He waved his hands in the air. “I'll think of something. There's just one little issue.”

“What's that?”

“My usual investors are not.... keen on this idea.”

“Aw, that's horrible. So you'll have to find new investors, or finish ironing out the details.”

“I,” Anthony started. “I was thinking of new investors. This idea might be a bit too new, too fresh for the gentlemen I normally deal with.”

“That will definitely make it a challenge. Who do you think you'll get to support you?”

“Well,” Anthony looked down, nervously, “I was thinking you.”

“Me?” Cora asked, surprised.

“Yes. See, I happened to come across one of your bank statements a while back and you have more than enough to start a new business,” he explained in a rush.

She blinked. “That... money is to support me for the rest of my life. Most of it is Aaron's to make sure he goes to school. Why would you ask me for this?”

“Oh, honey, come on. It's a brilliant idea. I'll pay you back, double it in fact. You and Aaron are my family now, I'll support you.”

“It's not that I doubt you, but Edward put all that aside to take care of us.”

“Right!” Anthony broke in, “It is now your money, you can do whatever you want with it! Look, don't make a decision now, think about it. It would be fantastic if you'd support me in this, sweetheart,” he finished with an endearing smile.

Cora just stared at him, confused and maybe a little appalled.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

She thought about it. Really, she did. Financing a new business for her husband seemed like a brilliant idea. But... there was doubt.

The next day he gave her some paperwork on how much it would cost to start up. It was the same amount as what was in Aaron's trust fund. Exactly the same amount. Down to the .34 cents. 

Cora took a deep breath. And did what any woman making a huge decision would do.

She went to her parents.

They were not impressed either. 

Her father, Richard, ran his own business. Had inherited it from his father, who got it from his father. Business was in his blood.

He placed the papers on the dinner table with a sigh, and sat back removing his glasses. “I don't know what to say Cora. On the surface it does look like a wonderful idea. There are just some holes. He doesn't mention anything about workman's comp. There's nothing to set up retirement funds for employees, nothing for benefits. It's almost as if he expects people to work themselves to death for the honor of making him money.”

Anna pulled a couple sheets of paper over so she could see them better. “I have to agree, honey, it's good, but has nothing to make the employees happy. Happy employees make the business succeed like nothing else. You could ask him about it, but if he isn't planning it out in the early stages, it's just... shady.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cora took her parents advice. That night, she asked Anthony all the questions they came up with, as well as several of her own. His response was unsettling.

He froze in his chair. Staring at her as if he'd never seen her before.

“You don't trust me?” he asked quietly.

“Of course I trust you, I love you, but this isn't about me. It's about money that was set aside for Aaron. It's about how odd it is that the amount you need is the same as his trust fund. It's about feeling like you're making me do this instead of me wanting to do this.”

“I just need a little help to get started. You'll get the money back, with interest.”

“I'm sorry, Anthony, I can't do it.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

To say things were strained after that would be to say the ocean is damp.

At first, the boys only knew their parents were fighting. It slowly became more obvious. 

Anthony brought up often the idea of sending the kids to a public school versus their private school. His reasoning was that they then would have more money to start his business. 

Cora vetoed it every time. Her sons were going to get the best education possible. 

This was a battle he probably knew he would lose. So he began nitpicking everything the boys did. In and out of their hearing.

Want to play baseball? Costs too much money. Want to go on a school field trip? No one needs to waste time with that.

After the fight, the only time Anthony spent any quality time with the boys was when he took them to a Civil War reenactment. Cora couldn't get any details from either of them, but they stopped asking to spend time with Anthony.

While both boys received criticisms about their activities, only Tony received direct criticisms about other aspects of his life. How much he ate, what he wore, what his hobbies were, everything. 

Everyone walked on eggshells, afraid of setting Anthony off. The boys started staying at school later, hiding in their rooms when they were home.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It all came to a head on Thanksgiving. 

It was a relatively small gathering. Anthony, Cora, the boys, Cora's parents. They were sitting around the table enjoying a freshly made pecan pie. Tony and Cora were debating the merits of whipped cream versus ice cream, Aaron was telling his grandparents about his upcoming visit with his father's family, and Anthony was seated at the head of the table, eating his pie quietly.

Suddenly, Anthony put down his fork and addressed the table. “Family, I have made a decision.”

The others stopped eating and looked at him curiously.

“Cora and I have been discussing starting a new business, but she is worried about the boys' education. The cost of the business plus the cost of their private school is a bit more than we can handle right now, so I found a solution.”

“A solution,” Cora repeated numbly.

“Yes, a wonderful solution. Starting in January the boys will be enrolled in the Rhode Island Military Academy.” 

“What?” Cora exclaimed. “You aren't sending them to Rhode Island! Certainly not a military academy!”

“It solves all our problems Cora. They have the same level of education that their current school does, but at half the price what with it being a military prep school. They'll learn some sorely needed discipline and we'll be able to start our business!”

“Sorely needed discipline?” Anna asked her husband quietly. “They're children!”

“Hush, Anna, this is not our fight,” Richard responded.

“I refuse to send our children to another state! No business is worth that!”

“My business is worth it!” Anthony roared.

“No! I want our children here! There is no point in having children if you aren't with them while they grow up!”

“Too bad only one of those boys is actually yours!”

The boys both winced at that and allowed Anna and Richard to quietly tugged them out of the room but, the arguing could be heard long after they left.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was somber. Cora and Anthony spend their time with their lawyers. 

The boys spent their time at the Forsythe residence. When they were home, they slowly packed up Tony's room. Neither of them liked to be home.

The divorce was final the day after Christmas. Tony and Anthony were gone days before that.


	2. Chapter 2

1979

_Jan. 6, 1979  
Dearest Tony, _

_Your father has done his best to make sure that we cannot contact you. He has forgotten what lengths a woman will go to in order to contact her children. That's what you are. You are my child. In all the ways that matter.  
The package contains some goodies for you, home-made cookies, the latest issues of your magazines, some other stuff Aaron said you would want. If there is anything else you would like, let me know and I'll do my best to send it to you._

_Love always,  
Cora_

*****

Tony smiled at the quick note, that was more meaningful than such a short missive would imply, and then dug through the box. Cora had indeed sent some of his favorite goodies, and some stuff he didn't like, which left him confused. Until he found another note tucked in at the bottom of the box.

******

_Tony,_

_Mom wanted to send you this care package and she asked for my input. I thought you might need some things to either trade with the other students, or bribe them into leaving you alone. If you ever need anything, let us know._

_Aaron_

*****

Well, that explained the packages of licorice that he thought Cora knew he didn't like. He began to sort out his goodies into two piles. What was meant for him, and what was meant to help him survive. What he found was another envelope, a bit thicker than the single page notes the other two held.

*****

_Dear Tony,_

_Another note, I know, it must be getting frustrating now. I debated this for a while, and then decided that knowing how your father is, he may never think to do this. Here is an allowance. It's not a lot, I don't want your father to become suspicious about anything you may be doing at school, but I thought you would need something in case you wanted to do something off campus._

_Love,  
Cora_

*****

Tony pulled out several ten dollar bills. He smiled to himself and tucked them away in a little hidey hole he had found beneath his bed.

Then he moved to his desk, pulled out some paper and a pen and began his reply, telling Cora and Aaron all about his trip to Rhode Island and what military school was actually like.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Letters continued to be sent between Tony, Cora, and Aaron. At least one a week. Visits were less frequent, but once Tony joined the basketball team, Cora made a point of going to as many games as she could. It helped that some of his away games against other military schools were closer to Virginia.

It was in early April that Tony got a surprising letter from Aaron.

_Tony,_

_Mom started dating again. At first I didn't like it. Some of the guys she went out with were horrible and obviously only after her money. You should see their faces when they find out she has kids. It's like someone told a 5 year old that Santa doesn't exist. She finally met someone decent and that's why I'm telling you about it now and not when she first started dating again. She met Michael at a church fundraiser. He's an artist and has had a couple showings in New York City._

_When we first met he asked me how school was going. How my dad's parents were. He asked about you! Apparently Mom has been very up front about claiming you as her son and if he couldn't deal with it, she wouldn't deal with him!_

_He's nice. I don't know if they'll stay together, it's only been a couple months so far, but I like him and I think you will too._

_Good luck on your game this Friday!_

_Aaron_

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

February 1980

Tony still didn't know how Cora managed it, but she convinced his dad to let him attend her wedding. Michael Hotchner was just like Aaron described. A decent human being who adored Cora and Aaron... and by extension, Tony.

Apparently that had been something they had discussed in depth before even bringing up marriage. Tony was part of the family, and if Michael had a problem with that, he didn't need to be part of the family.

Tony's dad hadn't fought as hard for him as his now ex stepmother had!

This wedding was completely different from the last one Tony had attended.

It was small, with Cora, Michael, Aaron, Tony, Cora's parents and Michael's parents. It was officiated be a justice of the peace. Afterward they all went out to eat. Cora and Michael returned to her home, while Anna and Richard took Tony and Aaron on the trip back to Rhode Island. Aaron would be staying with them while the newlyweds enjoyed their at home honeymoon.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The letter was waiting for him when he got back to his dorm room. It was innocuous. It was soul crushing.

He called Cora right away. It didn't matter that she was on her honeymoon or that it was almost midnight. He was breaking school rules by sneaking out to the phone, but he didn't care.

She answered on the fifth ring.

“Hello?”

“Cora...” Tony choked out.

“Tony? Honey, what happened?”

“There was a letter from Dad's lawyers waiting for me” He took a breath.

“His lawyers? What?”

“He got married.”

There was silence. “What?”

“He got married, to some lady named Beatrice. In New York.”

“Okay,” Cora swallowed, “Congratulations on a new stepmother Tony.”

“That's the thing,” he whispered.

“What?”

“She doesn't want kids. At least kids that aren't hers. The letter from the lawyers says he's disowned me and will only pay enough to keep me at school until I graduate, then I'm on my own.”

Cora felt her eye twitch as she tightened her grip on the phone. She almost jumped out of her skin when Michael took her hand. 

“Never,” she said harshly.

“What?”

“You will never be on your own. I'll contact his lawyers, see what the paperwork really says. You may have to stay at Rhode Island, but we should be able to visit more. I'll figure something out. I have just as many lawyers as he does. You're my son.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tony never learned what Cora did, but, just as the lawyer papers had said, he had no contact with his father. He did have a lot of contact with Cora and her family. During school breaks, he went to Virginia. He was more a Hotchner than a DiNozzo now.

That was amusing. Aaron had decided to take on Michael's last name. Something he had avoided doing with the DiNozzo name. When Tony asked him about it, Aaron had shrugged and said he though Aaron Hotchner sounded better than Aaron Jameson. After a hard look, Aaron had caved and said it was also because he could tell how much his mom and Michael loved each other. So much more than Cora and his dad had, or Cora and Anthony. He wanted to be part of that family.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When it came to Tony's family... everything he learned about his father now came from society papers.

He did learn more about his new stepmother. Beatrice McGuire was a widowed socialite. Her husband co-owned a string of high end hotels. He also learned she didn't like children. Not even her own. Her two sons had been raised by nannies and there were barely any pictures of the three together. He heard rumors that when she was with her children, she expected them to be seen, not heard. If they broke that rule, she would starting ranting and raving about misbehaving children and they would end up sent to their rooms, if they were lucky. If they were unlucky? Boarding schools in Europe.

Really, being disowned might have been the best thing for Tony.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

December 1980

The wait was the worst part.

Aaron, Tony, Anna, and Richard all sat together in the waiting room. 

Aaron kept twisting his hands together, staring at the door. Tony would sit for a few seconds, then get up and pace until someone, usually Aaron, glared at him. Anna and Richard were slightly more composed, both reading magazines while they waited.

“What's taking so long?” Aaron asked suddenly.

Anna snorted. “Honey, this is something that happens on it's own time. No one can rush it.”

Aaron huffed. “I just want to meet my new brother.”

“He'll be here soon enough,” Richard replied. “Then you'll wish he had never been born as you help with diapers and what not.”

Aaron crinkled his nose, clearly insulted that he would treat his new sibling that way.

Tony outright snorted. “Yeah, okay. Aaron is the perfect mother hen. He's been practicing on me, now he can train New Brother into accepting it from the get go.”

They again sat in silence. Long enough that Aaron was considering a run to the cafeteria for something to eat, when the doors opened and a doctor came out.

He looked around the waiting room, “Hotchner family?” he asked.

Aaron hopped up from his seat, Tony, and their grandparents followinig more slowly.

“That's us,” Richard answered.

The doctor smiled, “Congratulations. Mrs. Hotchner has delivered a healthy baby boy. Mother and baby are doing fine, give them a few more minutes to get cleaned up, and a nurse will come out to bring you in.”

“How is the new father, Doctor?” Anna asked.

“A little green around the gills, but he'll be fine,” was the reply.

“Ha,” Anna remarked after the doctor left. “Men! Babies, all of you.”

“Yes, Anna, we know,” Richard patted her on the arm. “Why don't we make a quick run to the cafeteria for a snack? I'm too old to go this long without food.”

By the time the four returned to the waiting room, a nurse was waiting to take them to meet the newest member of the family.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“He's so small,” Aaron said, looking at the baby in his arms.

“So were you,” Cora smiled, “So was Tony. He'll grow. Pass him on to his other brother, we don't have much time before you have to go home for the night.”

With Anna's assistance, Aaron passed the baby to Tony. Tony stared down at the wrinkly face. “This is how we start out life?” He asked. “All wrinkly?”

The adults all snorted, “Same as his size, my boy.” Richard said. “He'll grow out of it. Now, Cora, Michael, what is the name of my newest grandson?”

Michael smiled at the baby in Tony's arms, “We named him Sean.”

“Sean Hotchner,” Anna murmured, “A nice name.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1982

_Dear Tony,_

_The other day I was supposed to meet Henry to go over our strategy for Model UN. I ended up in the wrong room and may have accidentally auditioned for a part in_ Pirates of Penzance. _I'm Pirate number 4. The highlight to all this is that I met Haley Brooks, a freshman. She's beautiful, smart, and funny. I did eventually make it to my meeting._

When I told Mom what happened she said it sounded like something you would do. So thanks, you've been a horrible influence.

Everyone is fine here, Mom has started working again, part time at the elementary school they plan to send Sean to. In 3 years. Parents are so weird, he's barely potty trained and they already know what school to send him to.

Michael has a show opening in a few weeks. He's been working on watercolor landscapes. A big change from the welding monstrosities he was doing before. Except for Sean's fussing and crying it is now much quieter around the house.

I saw in the paper that Anthony married again. He and Beatrice didn't last very long, did they? Have you heard from him?Mom might not tell you, but she's been hoping since the divorce that he'd contact you. Michael keeps telling her not to hold her breath. I don't know if hearing that Michael doesn't care for your dad is a good thing or not, but at least you know you have us.

I've got to go, have a rehearsal tonight. 

Aaron

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_Dear Aaron,_

_Glad to hear you've finally decided to date. I go to an all boys school and have more dates than you. Getting a part in a crappy play is not the most embarrassing thing I've done to get a date. Remind me to tell you about Heather some time._

_It's good to hear everyone is doing well. Tell Sean to stop growing like a weed. Every time I get back he's got new hair and teeth... and drool._

_It's good that Cora is getting out more, I know she didn't work at all when married to your dad, and definitely not when married to mine._

_Michael's art scares me sometimes._

_No, Dad has not contacted me since the divorce. Oddly, I did get an announcement for his new marriage to Sheila Tames. I imagine it did not come from him, so she must have gotten hold of his address book. Too bad he now has no excuse to not contact me, he obviously knows where I am, he even has my dorm number._

_I've made the JV basketball team, not quite old enough to be on varsity, but give me time. I'll tell you guys all about it when I see you next. Think I might try for football as well, it could be fun._

_That's it for now, I'll see you at Easter break, give my love to everyone._

_Tony_

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1984

Aaron's graduation ceremony seemed to drag on. When did so many people begin to attend his school that they had to sit through over an hour of students getting their diplomas? He just wanted to give his valedictorian speech and go home. He was sure there would be cake. 

He craned his head around to find his family in the stands. There they were, as close to the stage as they could get. They must have arrived shortly after he had. He could see his grandparents reading over the program, pointed at names they recognized, his mom and Michael were entertaining a fussing Sean. At four, Sean didn't have the greatest attention span, better to try and tire him out and keep him from bothering the people seated around them.

At the end of the row were his last two guests, Tony and Haley. They got along well enough, but Tony liked to needle everyone and Haley didn't really have the patience for it. No matter how many times Aaron had told her to ignore him, she always responded to his baiting. Today was different, Aaron noticed with a slight smile. Tony had arrived three days before for summer break, with a black eye and twisted ankle. He claimed it was from pick up game gone wrong, Aaron didn't believe him. Looked like Haley didn't believe him either. 

He was pulled from his thoughts when his row stood to begin their walk to get their high school diplomas.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After the ceremony, it took a while to fight through the crowd to meet his family. Luckily they had thought of that and made plans to meet near the refreshment stands, which were a bit away from the exit most of the audience would be using.

“Aaron!”

He turned and was slammed into by his girlfriend. 

“Your speech was amazing!” Haley exclaimed and rewarded him with a kiss.

“Hey! No hogging the graduate!” Aaron was pulled away from Haley and surprised when Tony gave him a peck on the lips. “Way to go, Aaron.”

“Ugh, Tony, really?” Aaron wiped his hand on his lips. 

“What?” Tony asked innocently, “I thought we were all going to kiss the graduate.”

“Just you wait, you've got two years and I'll get my revenge.”

“Mom!” Tony whined as the rest of the group approached, “Aaron is threatening me!”

“I'm sure you deserve it, Tony. Aaron, come give us a kiss, I'm so proud of you.”

It did indeed turn out to be a round of kissing the graduate. Everyone except Michael took a turn, Sean took two.

“Now,” Anna said, “Let's go get dinner, I'm hungry. I also want to hear more about my grandson's college plans. Chop, chop, let's go.”

Once they sat down for dinner, Aaron filled them all in on his plans to attend the University of Virginia for Psychology. His plan was to then attend their law school. He just didn't know if he was going to get his masters in Psychology before or after attending law school.

Everyone had their opinion on his plans, Anna being the most practical about it and pointing out that law school might not work out, but a Masters in Psychology would always be useful.

Aaron shrugged, “I have four years to decide. Have to get my Bachelors first. Pass me another piece of cake.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1986

This time Aaron got to be in the stands watching someone else graduate. He was thankful that Tony and Haley's ceremonies were on different days; it would have been impossible to choose which one to go to. So, first Tony's, then time to pack up his room and take him home to Virginia, then off to Haley's ceremony. 

A mere two years later and Sean was much less fidgety during this ceremony than during his. Now that he was getting better at reading, it was easy to hand him a book and let him entertain himself for a while. 

The only other difference from Aaron's graduation was that Haley wasn't there. Neither was Anthony.

Aaron had glanced around once and hadn't seen him. He'd been watching his mother look for him constantly, but was sure the man wasn't going to show up. He hadn't talked to Tony, either in person, by phone, or letter, since the letter from his lawyers six years previously.

“Well,” Cora said finally. “Anthony has no idea what he is missing, or how fantastic Tony turned out to be. His loss is our gain.”

“It sure is, honey,” Michael agreed.

Richard leaned past his wife. “Aaron, what are Tony's plans now that he's done?”

“He got a sports scholarship to Ohio State. He's going to study physical education and he's really stoked about it. Not sure yet what he'll do afterward, but last we talked he said planning out the next four years was enough for him.”

“Ohio State, huh? Guess I'll have to start watching college sports.”

“You'll have plenty of time,” Anna put in, reminding them all that Richard had retired earlier that year, leaving his business to be run by the managers. Someday one of the boys might want to run it, but he knew Cora and Michael did not.

“Shhhh,” Sean surprised them all, “It's starting.” 

The adults all smiled and settled in to watch Tony DiNozzo graduate high school.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The next ceremony, Aaron attended alone. It wasn't that his family didn't want to attend Haley's graduation, but there was a limit on tickets and she had her own family she wanted there. So he went and sat with her family. Her sister, Jessica was very nice, but her parents didn't seem to approve of him. He had no idea why.

It was a bittersweet ceremony. He was happy she was graduating, but she had been accepted to a school in Georgia to study English. 

The idea of carrying on a long distance relationship on top of college work loads worried him. He'd do it for her though. 

He smiled down at the dozen roses he had for her. He'd do anything for her.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1990

With the distance between Ohio and Virginia, Cora didn't get out to see Tony's games as often as she wanted to. She tried to get to at least one game of every sport he played, football, basketball, and baseball. There were a few others that he didn't think she should come out for, so when he asked her to make the trip for a football game against Michigan, she had her bags packed and reservations made minutes after hanging up.

It was just her this time, Michael was helping Sean with a school project, Aaron was working on a final paper, and Anna and Richard didn't travel as much anymore.

Once in Ohio, she and Tony went out for dinner and began to discuss his future. With a bit less than a semester left, Tony had to start making plans. He told her he had talked to a scout for a professional basketball team.

“Hmm,” Cora said, “What happens if that doesn't work out?”

“You don't think I could go pro?”

“Tony, you know that isn't what I meant. You would be a fantastic professional player, but things happen. You need to have a backup plan.”

“Like Aaron getting his Masters in psychology and then being a lawyer?” Tony asked sourly.

“Tony,” Cora chastised. 

“I know, I know. It's just frustrating, Did Aaron come out of the womb knowing he wanted to be a lawyer?”

“It's entirely possible. But, we aren't talking about Aaron, we're talking about you.”

“I don't know,” Tony said with a shrug. “Everyone has been acting like I'll be a P.E. teacher if I don't go pro.”

“Do you want to be a teacher?”

“No, not really.”

“Well, figure out what you do want to do. Think about it, at least. Now, tell me about your game tomorrow.”

Tony was more than happy to switch to a more comfortable subject and spent the rest of the night telling Cora all about the Michigan team.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The day of the game found Cora sitting on the fifty yard line. She was actually sitting next to Tony's adviser and the two spent quite a bit of time discussing his future. Professor Drycker also spent some time explaining a bit more about football to her. Cora claimed she just had to support the goals of her sons, she didn't have to understand it.

It was the fourth quarter of the game when it happened. Ohio had been leading by a touchdown and were trying to widen the gap. 

Tony had the ball and hadn't been able to find someone open to pass it to. He had taken off down the field to the roar of the crowd.

Most of the Michigan players were struggling to keep up, but one or two were keeping pace with Ohio's star player.

It was still a surprise when the player on the left made a grab for Tony. They went down in a tangle of limbs and the other Michigan player joined in the mad grab for the ball.

The ref blew his whistle and the Michigan player's slowly stood up. Tony did not. The ref jogged over to Tony and knelt down to talk to him. Minutes later medics were making their way onto the field.

“Oh God,” Cora murmured.

“Come on, Mrs. Hotchner, let's get you down there.” Professor Drycker took her by the arm, gathered up their belongings, and led her out of the stands and down to the field.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It looked much worse than it was. A broken leg. A cracked kneecap. A couple of torn ligaments. There was no chance that Tony would go pro in any sport now. 

He would recover though. With time and rehabilitation. 

The prognosis crushed Tony's spirits. He had been counting on going professional, what was he to do now?

The answer came in the form of a Michigan football player. Brad Pitt came to visit one day not long after the game. He was the player who'd originally took Tony down and when he heard how badly Tony was injured he decided to apologize.

The meeting was awkward at first. Cora didn't help; she blamed the boy for hurting her son.

The tension slowly faded from the room as the three talked. Brad had one last thing to say before he left. “The last time I saw someone take off that fast was when I watched a cop take off after a bank robber on TV. You were just as amazing as he was.”

“A cop? Huh.”

Cora also left for the night, leaving Tony deep in thought.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

May 1993

The two men settled on chairs in the backyard of a Virginian home.

The quiet pop of beer cans were the only sounds for a few moments.

“We're done.”

“Yep.”

“Now we have to get real jobs.”

“Yep.”

“I miss school.”

“Lies.”

“Okay, yeah, a lie.”

“When do you have to be in Peoria with your fancy Masters in Criminology?”

“Coupla weeks. When do you start work Mr. Lawyerman?”

“Next Monday.”

“Any plans before then?”

“I'm... going to propose to Haley.”

“That's... not surprising, really. But, wow, you ready for that?”

“I was ready for it when she graduated high school.”

“Good, got the ring all picked out?”

“Yes, Mom helped me. She also gave me a lecture on proposing etiquette.”

“What?”

“Don't embarrass her, get down on one knee, that sort of thing.”

“Ah. She'll say yes.”

“I hope so.”

“She will.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

July 1993

Richard Forsythe of Richmond, Virginia passed away on July 7th, 1993 of a heart attack.

He was born in Fairfax Virginia on November 3rd, 1915.

He is survived by his wife Anna, his daughter Cora, son in law Michael, and grandsons Aaron, Tony, and Sean.

Services will be held at the McLane Funeral Home on July 9th, 1993 at 10:00 am.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1995

Aaron and Haley were getting married. Tony stood as best man, Sean was a groomsman.

Cora sobbed in the front row.

The wedding itself was a fairly elaborate affair. All roses and lace, it made Haley happy. Aaron was indifferent; he just wanted to marry Haley.

It had taken two years for Haley to plan the wedding to her exact specifications. Anna had joked that Queen Elizabeth's wedding had taken less planning. 

When it came time for Tony's speech, Haley was visibly squirming, worried about what her new brother in law would say.

“Ladies, gentlemen,” Tony began, “at this point in the evening the best man usually gives an embarrassing speech about the bride and groom. I'm not going to lie, I considered it. Then I remembered that my mother would be here and she wouldn't appreciate it. So the only embarrassing thing I'll say is this: Aaron, we're all glad you became a lawyer, because you're a horrible actor. Now, onto the good stuff. Haley, Aaron knew the day you met that you would get married. He loves you more than anything. Aaron, Haley is too good for you. Cheers to the happy couple!”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1997

The family would remember this year as one of transition.

First it was Tony, who decided to leave Peoria and take a new job in Philadelphia. Cora was pleased that he would be closer to home.

But Aaron... Aaron and Haley were making big changes.

The two wanted to start a family, but were having trouble conceiving. They were seeking treatment anywhere they could.

The previous year, Aaron had decided on a career change. He left the DA's office he had been working for and applied to the FBI. His acceptance had been a little shocking. That he could now use his psychology degrees as a profiler? He considered it a bonus.

The career change meant the couple had to leave Virginia. 

They would leave the east coast and settle in Seattle, Washington.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1999

A lot can happen in a few years. 

Tony discovered that he didn't work well with the other cops in Philadelphia. He clued in about the same time that backup kept arriving late. He still had no clear idea what had caused the behavior, but he didn't stay to find out. Within a year of working at Philly, he had found a new job in Baltimore, Maryland. He was much happier there, had a partner he could trust and a girlfriend he loved.

That was a bit of a scandal, considering Wendy had been one of his teachers at Rhode Island. There was no evidence of anything untoward happening when he was a student. Tthe two hadn't even talked to each other since the day of Tony's graduation, they just happened to meet up again in Baltimore by chance.

Aaron came to the attention of some high up profilers out of Quantico - David Rossi and Jason Gideon. They were impressed with his skills and offered him a job, a chance to work the toughest cases in the country, with the best people in the country.

Of course, he took them up on it and Haley was thrilled to be moving back closer to her family. Especially since there was still no progress in having children.

There was sad news though. 

Anna Forsythe passed away at the age of 81. She just went to sleep one night and never woke up.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2001

“Hotchner,” Aaron answered the phone.

“Pull out your address book, need to update my info.”

“Tony?”

“That's me.”

Aaron swallowed a sigh, “What happened?”

“Got a new job.”

“Really? Where? What about Wendy?”

“In order: Yes, DC, she's cool with it.”

“DC? I thought you liked Baltimore?”

Aaron could almost hear Tony shrug. “It's a job, the one in DC is better.”

“PD again?”

“Nah, higher up. NCIS. I've joined your Club Fed.”


	3. Chapter 3

February 2005

“Let me hold him.”

“Have you ever held a baby before?” Aaron asked suspiciously.

“Yes. Totally.”

“When?”

“When Sean was born. Such a cute baby. No idea what happened.”

“Hey!” Sean protested. “I'm still cute.”

The two other men looked at each other. “Nah,” they drawled simultaneously.

“Aaron, let me hold the baby or else once Haley wakes up I'll tell really embarrassing stories about you.”

The new father raised an eyebrow, “Oh, yeah? Whatcha got?”

“Hmmm.... How about the summer after the wedding, when we went to Tuscany for a week? You remember, you got caught out with-”

“Stop!” Aaron yelled, “Okay, you can hold him! Just remember to support his head!” He carefully passed the baby over.

Once the baby was settled in a new pair of arms, silence fell in the room. 

“I want to hear about Tuscany.” Sean complained, breaking the mood.

“Yeah, not so much, bud. I'm keeping that for a truly important bout of blackmail.” 

Aaron slouched back in his chair. “Wonderful,” he mumbled.

“Aaron, I hate to be the bearer of bad news.”

“About what?” Aaron asked with a sigh.

“This baby looks nothing like you. He looks like an old, angry man.” There was silence for a beat. “Really, he's much more attractive than you.”

“Shut up.”

“What's his name?”

“We decided on Jack.”

“Jack is a good name. Hello Jack, I'm your Uncle Tony. The handsome one. I will teach you all my tricks, yes I will. You'll be a hit with all the ladies.”

“Tony, really? He's less than a day old.”

“Hey, it's never too early to start working on ones charms.”

“Can't you wait until he can talk?”

“Nooo, I have to start now.”

Aaron scowled at Tony and opened his mouth to retaliate when the door swung open.

“There's my boys!” Cora Hotchner chirped. “Getting along, aren't we?”

“Yes, Mother.” The three men chorused.

“Excellent, now give me my grandson.” Cora held out her arms and waited for Tony to transfer the baby over. “Aaron, Haley is awake and wants to know where everyone went. For some reason she wants to see her son.”

“Can't imagine why,” Tony commented, “She just spent the last few hours getting him out of her body.”

“Honestly, Anthony, a woman wants to see her child just as much as the father does. Why I remember when Aaron was born... such an adorable child. Never cried at all. Hopefully Jack will take after you and not Sean.”

Sean looked up sharply at the sound of his name. “What did I do?”

“You cried constantly. Had colic, ear infections. Sometimes it's a wonder you survived at all!”

“I'm just lucky,” Sean said with a smile.

“No, you have an overworked guardian angel. And Mom wouldn't let me lock you in the closet like I wanted,” Aaron corrected.

“Bah!' Sean exclaimed. 

“That's enough, out of all of you. Let's go see my daughter-in-law and let her meet her son. Off we go, you first Aaron. Tony, you're looking very dapper today, go on, follow Aaron he knows the way. Sean, come along. Don't dawdle.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

May 2005

The sound of the phone broke Michael's concentration. His hand jumped, pulling the soldering iron through a seam he hadn't intended it to.

“Dammit,” Setting the tools aside, the answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Yes, hello, is a Cora Hotchner available?”

“No, I'm sorry, she isn’t. Can I take a message?”

“Could you please have her call National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda as soon as possible?”

“Bethesda? Yes, right,” Michael scrambled for a pen. “What was the number again?”

“202-555-7454”

“Okay, she'll call you in ten minutes or so.”

“Thank you sir, have a nice day.”

“Doubtful,” As soon as the line disconnected, he dialed Cora's cell phone.

“Michael!” Cora answered cheerfully, “Did you change your mind about joining me for lunch?”

“No, I didn't, Cora.” He sighed. “You got a call. You need to call the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.”

“A hospital? Why?” questioned Cora.

“I don't know. I do know it's a hospital in D.C.”

“What's the number?” Cora's voice trembled.

Michael told her, she repeated it back, then hung up.

Michael stared at the phone and slowly set it on the table. He turned back to his sculpture, but realized his muse had fled.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Cora was frantic as she called the hospital. With two of her sons in law enforcement, hospital calls terrified her.

It was Tony who came up with the idea of only having hospitals contact her in extreme situations. A bullet to the arm wasn't too bad, a bullet to the gut and she was called.

The solution worked, but it meant she wasn't listed as next of kin for either Aaron or Tony. She depended on Haley to keep her apprised of Aaron. Wendy had done the same for Tony... but well. That was history.

Now her contact information was buried in Tony's files. A hospital would only find it if the situation called for it.

“National Naval Medical Center, this is Amber, how may I help you?”

“Hi, this is Cora Hotchner, I'm calling about Anthony DiNozzo.”

“One second please.” There was a slight pause. “Agent DiNozzo was admitted earlier this afternoon, how soon can you get here?”

“It's that bad?”

“I can't say over the phone, Ma'am. However it would be a good idea to get here soon.”

“Oh, God.” Cora swallowed, feeling dread build in her stomach. “I'll be there in a few hours.”

“Yes, Ma'am.”

The call was over. Cora couldn't breathe.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Cora and Michael arrived at the hospital to see a gray haired man storm out, obviously in a hurry.

At the reception desk, once their identities were confirmed, they had to wait for Tony's doctor, a Doctor Pitt. When he arrived, he showed them into a private waiting room.

“Can I get either you some coffee?” he asked politely.

“No,” Cora said abruptly, “just tell us about Tony.”

“Of course.” The doctor cleared his throat. “Agent DiNozzo was admitted earlier this afternoon after inhaling an unknown substance from a letter at NCIS headquarters.”

Michael took Cora's hand. “Anthrax?”

“No. It took us a while to figure it out, and it was actually Agent Gibbs, Agent DiNozzo's boss who helped us. It's a strain of Yersinia pestis.”

“I don't know what that is,” Cora admitted.

“Most people don't. It's also known as the bubonic plague.”

Cora covered her mouth, her breathing shaky.

“Agent DiNozzo is currently in isolation and on antibiotics. He's tough, but we're going to be very careful with his health.”

“Can we see him?”

“Yes Ma'am, of course. Please, follow me.” Doctor Pitt led them through a series of hallways. He stopped at a junction. “His room is just up a head, but I wanted to warn you. He looks... bad. There has been some minor improvement, but right now the prognosis isn't very good.”

Cora took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, grabbed Michael's hand. “I don't care, we're going to see him.”

The doctor smiled and led them the rest of the way to the observation window.

With her free hand, Cora touched the glass. “I haven't seen him look this small since he broke his leg in college.”

“How did he do that?”

“A football game. This guy on the other team knocked him over, then another one jumped on top. Tony broke several bones, cracked his kneecap. That was when he realized he would never play professionally.”

The doctor smiled. “I was in a football game where something like that happened. Poor guy, he was good too. Before my team left I stopped by to visit him, didn't stay long though.”

Cora turned away from looking at Tony to stare at the doctor. He tilted his head and looked back. “Brad?” she asked hesitantly.

He blinked, “Yes?” It took a few seconds, but his eyes lit up with recognition. “You mean to tell me that that is... wow. What a small world.”

The Hotchner's were both smiling. “You changed his life that day,” Cora said. “Not just by breaking his leg, but you made him pick a career that he loves. I'd thank you, but you broke his leg.”

“Understandable.”

“Maybe it's karma? Your broke him then, now you have to fix him.”

“I'll do my best, Mrs. Hotchner.”

“Call me Cora, dear.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

When Tony was released from the hospital, Cora went home to his apartment with him. While he slept, she cleaned his apartment and stuffed his freezer with home cooked meals. On the few occasions he was awake, she talked at length about his brothers and Jack.

Two weeks after being released, she was surprised to see Tony preparing for work.

“Where do you think you're going, young man?” She demanded.

“To work. I've got this feeling, I need to be there.”

Cora pursed her lips. “You're on medical leave. You need to listen to Brad in order to recover fully!”

“I don't like the fact that you're on a first name basis with my doctor.”

“Nonsense, it takes cooperation and sneakiness in order to keep you healthy! He's just the man to help.”

“Please, Mom, I need to be there.”

They stared at each other silently for several minutes. 

“Alright,” Cora conceded. “Go to work. But let the others do the running around. You're still not one hundred percent, I won't lose you for anything, am I clear?”

“Crystal.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Once it hit six o'clock, Cora began pacing in front of the door. Tony should have been home soon. He needed his medication and rest. Why had she let him go to work? She was his mother, he should listen to her. She knew the answer though, it was in his eyes. There was something there, something that terrified him.

At eight minutes past six, the phone rang.

“Hello?” Cora answered.

“Mom? Could you come pick me up?”

“Of course Tony, where are you?”

“I'm at work. Could you also bring a change of clothes?”

“Yes, but why?”

“I'll... I'll tell you when you get here.”

She hung up the phone, with the weirdest sense that something had gone horribly wrong.

Getting to the Naval Yard was simple. Convincing them to let her past the gates to pick up her son took more work, but eventually, they agreed. Cora was sure that a guard watched her car the whole way.

She was right about something going wrong. Tony was waiting outside his building, wearing a set of scrubs with... was that blood? Stains on his cheek.

Pulling up to the curb, she quickly parked the car and raced to Tony. “What happened?!”

“Kate was shot. She didn't-” Tony swallowed, but didn't have to finish his sentence.

“Oh, honey, I'm so sorry.” She carefully wrapped her arms around him, letting him grieve in relative peace for a few moments. “Come on now, let's get you home.”

He nodded dully and followed his mother to the car.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

2006

When Gibbs retired after his accident, still not remembering who everyone was, Tony stepped up to take charge of the team.

He knew it would be difficult, they were all used to Gibbs' manner. He hadn't known that his teammates, his friends, would be so defiant when it came to following his orders. He knew how to do his job, why they thought that Gibbs leaving had left him a gibbering idiot, he'd never understand. None of them were senior enough to take over the team; it didn't matter that McGee had amazing computer skills or that Ziva could kill someone with a broken paperclip, they could not run the team. 

What they didn't know was that Tony had a secret weapon. Aaron.

To: Ahotchner@FBI.gov  
From: Adinozzo@NCIS.gov  
Subject: running a team

I get it, really I do. I miss him too, but he's gone and we need to move on. But they won't! How do you do it? I thought we were friends and that they knew I know how to do my job, but now I'm beginning to wonder. Any advice?

To: Adinozzo@NCIS.gov  
From: Ahotchner@FBI.gov  
Subject: Re: running a team

Not sure how to help you Tony. While I'm sure my teammates respect my abilities and will follow my orders, they aren't likely to invite me out for a beer after work.   
Do you think your director can help you at all? Although, given my experience with a Section Chief, she may do more harm than good!  
If it's Ziva and McGee giving you a hard time, talk to Abby or Ducky. Hell, make friends with some new people in the building. Anything to help give you support.

To: Ahotchner@FBI.gov  
From: Adinozzo@NCIS.gov  
Subject: nice plans

So, I took your advice. Abby is convinced that Gibbs will come back, and until he does she has built a Gibbsian shrine in her lab. I'm actually a little concerned it might interfere with her work.   
Ducky is beyond mad at Gibbs, from what I can tell, he expected his friend to talk to him when he needed to, Gibbs never did. I think asking him for help might actually hurt him more than it helps me.  
However, the Autopsy Gremlin has been extremely helpful. Jimmy Palmer. I admit I haven't spent a lot of time worrying about anything to do with him. He took over for Gerald a few years ago, usually gets lost when driving to a scene, good to make fun of. But he gets it. It might not be enough to turn the team around, but I have support and someone who will stay after hours to talk with me.

The director was less than helpful. I went to get her opinion and instead she had me start a new op! One I'm not allowed to discuss with anyone. I like that she thinks I'm capable, but I'm uneasy. She didn't say anything about backup. If anything happens, I'll call you. The director said not to talk to my coworkers, said nothing about talking to family! 

To: Adinozzo@NCIS.gov  
From: Ahotchner@FBI.gov  
Subject: RE: nice plans

Glad you found someone to talk to. It'll help.  
An op without backup? I don't like it. If there's not back up, something else must be going on. Be careful or I'll tell Mom.

To: Ahotchner@FBI.gov  
From: Adinozzo@NCIS.gov  
Subject: tattletale

Always running to Mom any time we do anything fun!  
Seriously, I will be careful.   
Things are slowly getting better. Slowly. Ducky is still angry, but now more willing to help keep the others in line. Just so you know, I'm not Gibbs and apparently I shouldn't try to be like him

To: Adinozzo@NCIS.gov  
From: Ahotchner@FBI.gov  
Subject: RE: tattletale

I'd rather be a tattletale than tell Mom I knew something bad was happening. Then there'd be no helping either of us!  
Glad Ducky is recovering, it must have hurt to have Gibbs leave like he did.  
Just so you know, I'm glad you aren't Gibbs, pretty sure he would be a horrific brother.

To: Ahotchner@FBI.gov  
From: Adinozzo@NCIS.gov  
Subject: he's back

He didn't even make it 5 months! He came back today. Apparently Ziva called him to help her with something. I just. Why didn't she ask me? Am I that horrible of a lead agent? Doesn't matter, Gibbs is back, took his desk back, sent Agent Lee on her way. Back to the way things were.  
I might be in over my head with the director's case. I really like the person I'm supposed to get close to. It probably won't end well. This is me giving you permission to say I told you so.

To:Adinozzo@NCIS.gov  
From: Ahotchner@FBI.gov  
Subject: your car got what?!

You're okay, right? I can't believe your car was blown up.   
I guess Gibbs isn't as one hundred percent as everyone wants to think.  
I told you so.

To: Ahotchner@FBI.gov  
From: Adinozzo@NCIS.gov  
Subject: Re: your car got what?!

I'm fine, a little bruised. Don't tell Mom.  
He isn't. He keeps forgetting names and other little things that shouldn't matter, but he's Gibbs and he shouldn't forget anything.   
The director said I'm doing a great job on my op, but she still doesn't want me to talk about it. She offered me a promotion, Rota, Spain. It's an awesome opportunity. I can't take it. I can't leave Gibbs and the team like this. No matter how they've been acting and how much they enjoy pushing my demotion in my face, I care about them too much.   
I might be too attached, but what can I do? Their well being is as important as yours.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

October 2007

He sat in his office staring at the forms on his desk. Requests for retirement to go into effect immediately. He had no idea it was that bad. Sure, everyone knew that Gideon was having some trouble with their work, who didn't? But why didn't he ask for help? Why did he only leave a note for Reid? Who knew being ignored would hurt so much?

He now had two choices, call his mom, Haley, Sean, or Tony.

His mom was with Michael in the Caribbean, a week long cruise that was to be their second honeymoon.

Haley... didn't want to hear from him.

Sean was either at work, or sleeping. Both of which he preferred to not be bothered during.

So, it was Tony.

“DiNardo.”

Aaron blinked. “Really?”

“Oh, hey... um... it's not really a good time. Can I call you back in like an hour?”

“Yeah, I'm at work.”

“Okay, talk to you in a bit.”

An hour later, Tony returned his call.

“Okay, I did want to talk to you about something, but first, DiNardo?”

“It's... the name I'm using for that op.”

“Still? I thought you were done with it.”

“Not... quite. It's complicated.”

Aaron heard something in Tony's voice that worried him. He thought for a second. “Oh, Tony, you really like her, don't you?”

There was a sigh. “Yeah. Well, what did you need?”

“You remember how you felt when Gibbs left?”

“Sure, it sucked.”

“Well, now I know how you feel.”

“What happened?”

“Gideon retired.”

“Is he even allowed to do that?” Tony asked.

“Apparently. We got back from a case, all went our separate ways. He went to his cabin. Came in to work today to catch up on paperwork and found his requests on my desk. About two hours ago Reid went to check on him, found his badge, gun and a letter.”

“The letter was addressed to Reid, wasn't it?”

“Yeah.”

“I'm sorry.”

Aaron snorted. “It shouldn’t bother me this much, I know it shouldn't. Reid was his protegé, I think he expects Reid to take his place as the best profiler ever.”

“But?” Tony prompted.

“I thought we were friends.”

They were both silent for several minutes.

“What happens to the team?” Tony asked.

“Not sure, they won't split us up, someone new will come in, but I have no idea who. We hadn't been looking for anyone new since we got Emily. Either I'll have to start searching from scratch, or someone will be assigned.”

“When will you find out?”

“By the end of the month, maybe sooner. Depends on if Chief Strauss has any games in mind this time.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dec 2007

How he managed to keep his cool after being served the papers in front of his team, he'll never know. He suspected they wanted to ask questions, see how he was. Thank God for David Rossi. The man had been through enough divorces to know what the papers meant, and that he just needed time alone.

He knew that when he got back to their house... his house, the emptiness and silence had multiplied.

It was deafening.

The sound of the phone roused him from his stupor. It still took him a few rings to realize it was the house phone. Did anyone of importance even have that number?

He picked up the receiver and dully announced “Hotchner residence.” Only, it wasn't anymore. It was just him.

“Aaron?”

But Aaron's residence didn't sound right. Maybe he'd have to start answering the phone as Hotchner all the time, losing one more piece of himself to the job.

“Aaron!”

“What? Tony?”

“Aaron, are you okay?”

He was silent, looking down at his shoes. They were scuffed. He sighed. “You know, don't you?”

“Haley called me. She said her lawyer called to confirm the papers were delivered. She didn't want you to be alone.”

“Aren't I?” was the morose question.

“No,” Tony said firmly. “Never alone.”

Aaron smiled slightly, remembering when Tony told him that his mother said something similar when he got legal papers from his father.

“I guess not. Feels like I am.”

“Are you still dressed?”

“Tony, I love you... but not like that.”

He heard a snort over the line.

“Jerk. Go put on some jammies and get a blanket for the couch. We'll spend the night together.”

Aaron protested, “You have work tomorrow.”

“So do you. Now go.”

The weary FBI agent obeyed, the whole time Tony chattered about his day, the latest movies, anything to help keep the silence at bay.

That was how Tony and Aaron kept each other company until they both fell asleep around four in the morning. The next day at work was hard for both of them. Tony let his coworkers think he spent the night with a lady friend. Aaron was sure his teammates knew why he didn't sleep and they were sensitive enough to not ask about it.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sept 2008

Jenny was dead. There was a new director in the big office in NCIS. He didn't like Tony. Oh, he wasn't blatant about it. In fact, it was presented as a promotion, a reward for a job well done. But he didn't get it; Tony didn't want to leave DC.

Yet, here he was. Standing in his apartment, watching his belongings get packed up and moved into storage and preparing to be assigned as Agent Afloat to the USS Ronald Reagan.

Cora and Michael were there to help. Supervising the packing, making sure he had everything he would need. Sean had planned to take them all to one of the best restaurants in D.C. 

Aaron and Jack would have been there, but Aaron had a case in New York City that they had to leave for immediately, Jack was with his mother.

The last box was packed and loaded into the van. The family would all be spending the night in a hotel suite. Most likely staying up late watching bad movies and throwing popcorn at the screen.

His team hadn't show up at all.

Logically he knew they had their own lives to sort out. Ziva had to pack everything and get a flight to Israel, McGee wasn't moving, but he did have to prepare for a new department.

It was Abby, Ducky, Palmer, and Gibbs that he thought would show up.

At least he wasn't totally alone. His family was there.

His phone rang while he was tipping the movers. With a smile and wave the van drove off to the storage site.

“DiNozzo.”

“Tony! It's Palmer, I mean, it's Jimmy. Are you busy?”

“Hey Jimmy, just packing up. Going out to eat soon. What's up?”

“Oh, I wanted to take you out for a going away dinner, I meant to call earlier but my class ran late.”

“Really? Hey, look, why don't you join me for dinner? We can swing by and pick you up at the school.”

“We? No, it's fine, sounds like fun, I'll be outside the administration building.”

“Sounds good, we'll be there soon.”

Tony hung up and turned to see Cora staring at him.

“Who did you just invite to dinner with us Tony?”

“Jimmy Palmer. He's Ducky's assistant in Autopsy, you don't mind do you?”

“Of course not dear, your friends deserve a chance to say good bye, just like we do. I admit I was hoping it was Gibbs; I've been looking forward to meeting him.”

“Meeting him?”

“Meeting him, yelling at him, it's all the same. Let's go, dear. Michael and Sean are waiting in the car. You'll have to give directions to Jimmy's school. It's a good thing Sean is driving, Michael never did get the hang of city driving.”

“Yes, Ma'am.” Tony allowed himself to be led out of his old apartment. He'd miss it, but he'd have missed this chance to have dinner with his friends and family more.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tony found out about Aaron's accident after the fact. Well after the fact. He couldn't even properly yell at him. Had to rely on e-mails to get across his annoyance and then he found out that Aaron had continued to put his hearing at risk by not listening to the doctors!

To: Adinozzo@NCIS.gov  
From: Ahotchner@FBI.gov  
Subject: Pot, meet kettle

Seriously? You went back to work 2 weeks after being released from the hospital after having the plague. You really don't have a leg to stand on when it comes to berating me for going to work after an ear drum rupture.  
To be honest, I didn't expect to be around loud noises like that. The team doesn't really let me lead raids or anything anymore. Either I'm getting too old or they're trying to prove themselves. I had to be there when we exhumed the Angel Maker's body. You know how it is. Too bad I forgot how loud those machines could be.   
The others aren't letting me forget it either. If I don't take care of myself, they'll take care of me whether I like it or not. Rossi made me drive home to avoid going on the jet. It was a nice drive. Would have liked to have been home sooner to see Jack, but what can you do? Turned out to be fine, Haley took Jack to visit her aunt in Georgia.  
There is nothing like being coddled by FBI agents. Next time you see Agent Fornell please ask him if there is some kind of class that agents are taking now for this. Maybe it's called “Care and Feeding of your Supervisor.”  
If nothing else, you can watch him stutter.  
How is the ship? I know you aren't happy, but it should be over soon, shouldn't it?

To: Ahotchner@FBI.gov  
From: Adinozzo@NCIS.gov  
Subject: Re: Pot, meet kettle.

You're being mean to me. I'm telling Mom.  
The ship is... hinky as Abby would say. Something is going on, just need to ferret it out.   
Gibbs is supposed to be working on getting me home, not sure how that'll turn out. He really doesn't have that much pull with this director. Bull headed fighting bull headed.  
We'll see how it turns out.   
Yes, I will totally ask Fornell about classes that you feebies get. That's not going to happen. Might ask Agent Slacks just to watch him change colors.  
Tell your team I approve of them taking care of you. You need it.  
Gotta go. Time to break up some poker games.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

May 2009

The last time Cora spoke to Haley was when her ex daughter-in-law called to tell her that Aaron was in the hospital. She fully admitted that she panicked. It wasn't the first time Aaron had been injured. She thought of the explosion in New York City, but it was the first time he'd had been injured so badly.

It reminded her of when Tony had the plague.

Worse, to her mind, was that he had been in the hospital for two days before anyone realized he was missing.

She was also annoyed with his team. They found him, yes, while working a case even, but didn't contact any of his family? She could possibly understand not calling Haley, but Sean was also listed as his next of kin!

It was Haley who made the hasty phone call, while being driven away with Jack into protective custody.

She didn't make it to the hospital until well after Aaron woke up. She wouldn't forgive his team for that any time soon.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Typical Aaron, Tony thought. More concerned with his family than himself.

If Aaron had things his way, his entire family would be in Witness Protection. Never mind the only ones targeted were Haley and Jack. Or that Tony was a trained federal agent, with an aim only slightly worse than Aaron's.

That George Foyet didn't think parents or siblings were worthy of consideration when it came to threats said a lot about both him and Aaron.

Of Aaron, it said he played things close to the vest. Lots of people knew he had been married and had a son. Few knew of his brothers or that his parents were still alive.

Of Foyet... it showed that he could be sloppy. He had no idea what kind of support Aaron would have during his recovery. He had no idea the number of people he had pissed off.

However, it was an FBI case, not an NCIS one. Aaron's team shouldn’t even have worked the case, but they all said the same thing: It's for Hotch.

Hotch. The nickname amused Tony enough that just hearing it distracted him. What would his nickname have been if he was still a Jameson? Or if he had become a DiNozzo?

He shook his head. Back on track. There was nothing he could do to help the investigation. He couldn’t even look at the files without causing an incident, but he could be a sounding board for Aaron when he needed it.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When Aaron was finally released, he wanted to return to his apartment. Cora was horrified. It had been cleaned, but he was attacked there!

“I won't let Foyet chase me out of my home.”

“Fine,” Cora begrudgingly agreed. “But not yet.”

“Mom,” Aaron tried to argue.

“No,” she said, spearing him with a look. “You need new locks, your super hasn't done that yet. Until he does, you stay in a hotel. While he redoes the locks, he can upgrade your security system and repaint the whole place,” Cora added, looking pleased with her plans.

“He won't agree to all of that, Mom.”

“No?” Cora asked. Aaron and Tony both flinched at her tone. “He agreed to it yesterday. Even said he'd help pay for the hotel room, as long as it was reasonable.”

Aaron and Tony glanced at each other. “Um, you're scary,” Tony informed their mother.

“Nonsense,” she huffed. “I'm an excellent negotiator. Aaron didn't get all his lawyer skills from his father.”

“Apparently not,” Tony agreed.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Despite their best efforts, the FBI wasn't able to find Foyet. This ate away at Aaron. As long as Foyet was free, his family was in danger. If he was better, faster, stronger then Haley and Jack could come home. He said as much to Tony once.

“What, you want to be the six million dollar man?”

Aaron scoffed, “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do. Two things. Foyet managed to hide for how many years? He'll turn up, we just have to be ready for him. Second, you're turning into Gibbs when he turned into Ahab over Ari. Stop it. You don't make a good Gibbs anymore than I did.”

“That bad?”

“Yes.”

“I can't seem to stop.”

“I know. I'm not saying stop looking, just don't be so hard on yourself.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

November 2009

They did find Foyet eventually. Or, rather, he found them. He didn't survive it. 

Neither did Haley.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was a nice funeral, as far as funerals went. Haley's family, especially her parents, spent most of the service glaring at Aaron. They clearly blamed him for their daughter's death. Cora itched to set them straight. She spotted Haley's sister, Jessica, talking to them. Perhaps that would help. Perhaps not. It didn't matter. Cora was ready to protect her son, even if it meant protecting him from grieving parents.

Aaron's family stayed at the back for the service and reception. While they were sad about Haley's passing, the divorce had put a dent in their affection for her, and had destroyed their patience for her family. They were there for Aaron and Jack.

Turned out Jack had inherited his father’s ability to look fantastic in a suit. They should have found out at his junior prom, not his mother's funeral.

At the reception, as things were winding down and most people, except for family had left, Cora noticed Aaron sitting alone in a lounge area. She moved to join him, but Sean caught her arm.

“He shouldn't be alone,” she told him.

“He isn't.” He nodded his head towards Aaron's team. Mother and son watched as they joined their supervisor, giving what support they could.

“He looks more relaxed with them there,” observed Cora.

“Probably because he doesn't have to be on high alert. They can be on guard for a while.”

They watched for several moments, until a series of ring tones interrupted the somber atmosphere. Aaron's team all pulled out their cellphones, smiled apologetically at Aaron and left.

“Alright Mom, now we can join him.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2010

“I haven't seen that man in over thirty years, but he can still make me feel like an inadequate kid.”

“Tony?” Aaron asked “Who?”

“Who else? My dad.”

“Anthony... why are we talking about Anthony?”

“He was a potential business partner to one of our vics. Or something. I'm not too clear on it. Because he's connected to the case, I'm stuck doing probie jobs while the others handle it.”

Aaron winced. “I'm sorry, I know how much you hate giving up control.”

“It's worse than that! Abby and Ziva think he's charming.” Aaron could feel Tony's contempt through the phone.

“He is charming,”

“Aaron!” Tony whined.

“He is,” Aaron insisted. “Why else would Mom have married him?”

“Fine, you may have something. But! They keep asking me about why I'm not more like him.”

Aaron leaned back in his chair. “How are you answering?”

“I'm not.”

“Good plan.”

“He was waiting for me at work.”

“What?”

“I was in a meeting, came back and McGee was all snotty about my having a visitor. It was a whole big production; they thought it was a funny joke.”

“Guess they aren't very good investigators.”

“Aaron, Gibbs wouldn't keep them on his team if they weren't good.”

“Fine, they're arrogant and overly sure of their abilities. If they weren’t' they would have known you and your dad don't talk.”

Tony sighed. “I hate it when you're right.”

“Are you going to tell Mom?”

“Wasn't really planning on it. Besides, he's already left for Monaco.”

“You should tell her.”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tony caved and did tell Cora about seeing his dad. She had a weird look on her face, but didn't seem overly interested.

The next day, she and Michael left on a surprise vacation.

To Monaco.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It hadn't been difficult to find Anthony. Cora and Michael had enough money to be able to get into the some of the exclusive resorts. Discreet questioning got her the information on where her ex-husband was.

She settled on a bar stool next to him, curiously listening to the pick up lines he was using on the young lady on his other side. 

She waved the bartender over, making sure to let her jewelry enter Anthony's field of vision.

By the time her drink arrived, Anthony's courting attempts had failed and he turned to her for another chance at bagging a wealthy woman.

“Hello, Anthony,” she said calmly.

“What?” he started, then peered at her more closely. “Cora?”

She smiled. “Yes.”

“Goodness, Cora, it's been... a long time. How are you?”

“Thirty two years. I'm well. Yourself?”

“Oh, nothing much. Some minor financial issues, I'm hoping the solution will turn up here.” He smiled at her, expectantly.

“That didn't work in the 70's and won't work now. I actually have a reason for looking for you today.”

“Really?” The smile became guarded.

Cora finished her drink, took a deep breath. “Marrying you was probably one of the worst things I've ever done.” Anthony scowled, but she kept talking. “However, it gave me Tony, so for that I have to thank you. But, if you ever show up in his life unexpectedly and make him feel worthless again, you'll rue the day you met Cora Forsythe.”

She stood up, tossed some money on the bar and left. She never looked back.


End file.
